Hackers Knock Out PlayStation Network, Divert Sony Executive’s Plane

HONG KONG – Sony said today that its PSN Sony Entertainment Network are back online after a high profile hacking attack.

Hackers also caused the diversion of a flight from Dallas to San Francisco carrying John Smedley, the president of Sony Online Entertainment.

The American Airlines plane diverted to Phoenix after hackers calling themselves the Lizard Squad used Twitter to announce that the flight was carrying explosives. After inspection on the ground, no explosives were found.

“The PSN and Sony Entertainment Network are back online and people can now enjoy the services on their PlayStation devices. The networks were taken offline due to a distributed denial of service attack. We have seen no evidence of any intrusion to the network and no evidence of any unauthorized access to users’ personal information. In light of today’s issue, the networks will not undergo the regularly scheduled maintenance, which was planned for Tuesday…